Saturday morning, 9AM, Paso Robles, CA
This past weekend a few of the Twisted bunch made the pilgrimage to an event called "Hospice du Rhone" (roughly, "refuge for Rhone"). This 2.5 day event is probably the premier gathering in the US (if not the world) for producers and fans of wines made from Rhone varietals. It is intensely interesting, and intensely fun!
Of course, you had better be ready to taste wine at 9AM... each day begins with two seminar sessions presented by some of the best winemakers in the world. The white wine in the photo is a Condrieu (i.e., Viognier) from Domaine Georges Vernay. Georges Vernay is arguably the modern father of Viognier, doing more than probably anyone else to save this varietal from extinction. If you like our (or any) Viognier, you have Georges to thank. And this Viognier was smashing - even at 9AM!
The other wines are all Syrah - one from Vernay, one a warm-climate from Napa, and the other three from a cool-climate vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. The differences between the three were stunning.
What else happens at HdR? Well, the event starts with the "Syrah Shootout", in which winemakers bring their best Syrah to blind tasting, and all vote on the best one to see who gets to wear the hideous but coveted "Coat du Rhone". This is followed by a bowling tournament (!). Two grand tastings fill the afternoons - one for current releases and one for library wines (I never thought a 1988 Roussanne could taste so yummy!). Lunch each day and a BBQ dinner at the end all prepared by local chefs round out the event.
If you want to learn more: Hospice du Rhone
- j
ps: yes, I used that red spit cup. But I hated it!
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